It isn't problematic that Christians "borrow ideas" from Hollywood and put their own spin on them. Every film genre does this. But given the Christian doctrine of creation, it is certainly surprising that so many Christian filmmakers — and artists in general — would choose to mimic someone else's vision, rather than cultivate their own.

The problem with Bale’s attitude to Moses is that it’s anachronistically modern. He turned to an ancient collection of religious texts—texts build on the premise that human events are manipulated by supernatural forces—and decided to evaluate it using modern concepts: freedom fighter, terrorist, schizophrenia. In a world in which everyone believes in the supernatural, there’s nothing certifiable about talking to God. At least, no crazier than someone today trying to diagnose the psychological state of a character in a three thousand-year-old book.

Yet, despite its A-list razzle dazzle, "Left Behind" was produced outside of Hollywood's traditional orbit. The man primarily responsible for bringing it to the big screen is Paul Lalonde, a Canadian filmmaker who co-produced and co-wrote it. His Ontario-based production company, Stoney Lake Entertainment, is part of an emerging nexus of movie studios that are devoted to creating Christian films.